SRS contractor lays off nearly 50 employees

In a letter sent to employees Monday, the chief officer of a company cleaning up the Savannah River Site said nearly 50 employees had been laid off.

Savannah River Remediation said last month that it needed to cut back on its workforce as it gets halfway through its six-year contract with the Energy Department and work winds down. The company had said it originally said it needed to eliminate 100 positions, but 18 employees had since taken buyout packages and 20 more left the company through attrition.

On Monday, SRR president Dave Olson said 48 additional employees had been laid off, for a total of 86 departures since early November. He said the company was done with layoffs for now.

Savannah River Remediation is responsible for disposing of and managing liquid waste at the former weapons facility. It currently has three years left on its federal contract, with an option for two more. It has about 2,000 employees at the site overall.